Oil cup



F. H, ELWELL OIL CUP FilediJune 24 lllllll;

May 15, 1923.

Patented May l5, i923.

httt? FRANKLIN H. ELWEIL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OIL CUP.

Application filed June 24k, 19521. Serial No. 480,038.

To all whom timely concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN H. ELwnLi., a citizen of the `United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,r have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Oil Cups, of which the following is a description. y

My invention relates to that general class of devices known as oil cups, and has for one of its objects to provide an oil cup which shall in normal operation continually and constantly feed oil to the parts desired with the usual gravitational flow, and which is so designed that the seating of the closure cap thereof will cause a temporary force feed instead of the gravitational iiow, which force feed will cease after said cap has been sub stantially seated and permit the gravitational feed to continue to act.

The invention has among its other objects the production o-f a device of the kind described that is simple, convenient, durable, compact, efficient, dependable and satisfactory for use wherever found applicable.

Many other objects and advantages of the device herein shown and describedrwill be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and de.

scribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the. drawings, wherein like reference f characters designate like or similar parts throughout the views,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through my device;

Fig. 2 is a similar vertical section of another form or modification of my invention;

Fig. 3is a section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig..2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the iin@ 4 4 of Fig. 2; y 5 is a section taken substantially on lthe line 5 5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. l. A

In `the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, 1 designates the casing or reservoir of my oil cup, said casing having a threaded lower` end 2 for attachment to any suitable partto be lubricated orto any connection leading` thereto.

The oil chamber 3 has an outlet opening 41 at the lower end thereof, and an inlet opening 16 at the upper end thereof, both said upper and lower ends being preferably reduced in diameter and externalljyY threaded as shown, said externally threaded inlet end 5 being adapted to receive a cooperating closure cap 12, said closure cap being internally threaded at 13, and projecting within the chamber 3 centrally thereof. In align.- ment with the inlet and outlet openings thereofis a sleeve 6, seated `at its lower end 9 at the base of the casing and having apertures or openings T through the side wall thereof so arranged as to communicate with the chamber 3, whereby oil may fiow from said chamber through said openings and out through said outlet L In order to regulate the amount of oil flowthrough the apertures 7, I have arranged a packing 8 of any suitable compressiblc absorbent or porous material, such as felt or any other equivalent for the purpose, between the casing and the openings 7.

`The upper end of the sleeve 6 in the preferred construction does not extend entirely to the upper wall of the casing, but is spaced therefrom or stopped. short thereof.

It will be understood that the casing 1 and sleeve 6 may bc made in one or moie parts `in any manner desirable or preferred. The cap 12 has a centrally projecting plunger part- 10, preferably hollow. and with a closed lower end 11, said plunger being adapted to slide in the inlet opening in the sleeve 6 so as to act as a piston or plunger, the sleeve 6 together with the inlet bore of the casing serving as a guide or cylinder therefor. A vent 15 formed through the wall of the plunger 10 communicates with the hollow interior thereof` and with the atmosphere through a second vent 14L in the cap so that when the cap is fully seated, as shown in Fig. l, the air pressure from the atmosphere will be communicated through the vents 14: and 15 to the body of oil in the chamber 3, thus preventing air locking and permitting its gravity feed through the apertures 7 and out through the discharge outlet 4. From 'the positioning ofthe vent 15 it will be seen that as the cap with its inwardly projecting plunger 10 is initially positioned in the inlet to the filled chamber 3, the subsequent screwing down or tightening of the cap will cause the plunger to act as a piston to exert pressure upon and torce the lubricant inthe central duct 6 out through said outlet l, the vents during the initial seating of the cap being inoperative to permit the atmosphere to act upon the oil in the chamber 3 ory the oil to flow out or be forced out through lthe vents. The continued tightening` or seating of the cap 12 substantially to its complete seating will cause the vent-s lil-l5 to become operative, as shown in the drawings,` thereby terminating said torce teed and permitting` the atmospheric pressure to act upon the lubricant within the chamber and the gravitational 'feed to become operative through the apertures V7 and the outlet l. y

In the modification shown in Figs. 2, 3 and t, the casing is threaded at its lower end 22 Aand is shown as attached to pipe l.. 20. The chamber 23 has an inlet and outlet opening 25 and 24: respectively in axial alignment with each other as shown, the inlet end 25 being annularly reduced, as shown. As in the previous modification, there is a central sleeve G within the chamber, the upper end ot said sleeve being spaced from the top ot' said casing, said sleeve having apertures 7 adjacent the lower end thereof and there preferably being a compressible, absorbent material 8, or its equivalent, between said sleeve and the casing, said sleeve bearing on and seating in the casing at its lower end 9. The cap 27 in this instance is not screw-threaded, but is adapted to be -pressed down in place over the end of the casing 2l, said cap having an annual peripheral wall 28 having one or more inwardly offset portions 31 adapted to engage in cooperating detente 30 formed in the peripheral wall o't the casing 2]..to4 securely latch and hold the cap in position. Projecting inwardly centrally ot the cap 27 is a plunger part 26, similar to the plunger l0 in the previous modification described, said plunger being either integral with the cap or secured thereto by soldering, brazing, Or in any other equivalent manner, said plunger having a closed lower end l1 and va vent opening 15 through the side wall thereof for the same purpose as previously described. Communicating with the vent 15 is a vent 32, in the upper portion of the cap 27, the atmospheric pressure being communicated thereto through the lier'fs 29, or the equivalent, formed in the peripheral wall "28, the chamber 33 therebetween serving to exclude dust, dirt or other foreign matter from said vent. v

As previously described, the oil chamber 23 and the sleeve 6 is filled with oil and as the cap is being seated the vents 15-32- r 29 are inoperative and prevent the oil being torced out through the vents, the plunger 26 acting as a piston to force feed the oil through the outlet ot the oil cup until the cap has beenI substantially completely seated, whereupon said vents will become operative to permit the oil in said chamber to flow by gravity through said outlet.

It will be particularly noticed that when lthe plunger is withdrawn for the purpose ot re-iilling the device, Withdrawal otl the plunger will tend to create a vacuum in the plunger chamber below the plunger, and consequently, if there is any oil remaining in the 'chamber 3, the vacuum will tend to pull orsuclr 4the oil through. the ports 7, thereby tending to clear the device and positively draw out any, oil into Vthe chamber below the plunger. This is particularly de sirable in case the oil becomes thick or ot such consistency that it does not flow easily through the packing 8. The device may be said to substantially consist of a casing provided with a gravity feed chamber anda torce feed chamber. The force feed chamber may be termed the internal chamber with a plunger adapted to operate in the torre reed or internal chamber.V

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifiationsmay be made in the same without departing from the spiritof my invention; hence' I do not wish to be understood limiting myself to the exact `form, arrangement, construction and combination ol parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned. i

l/Vhat l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln an oil cup ot' the kind described having` a lubricant chamber with andV inlet and an outlet, a cap for said inletand adapted to extend into, said chamber, aV vent near the upper end ot said cap communicating with the atmosphere and normally inoperative, said vent being so .positioned that itv opera tively communicates with said oil chamber only after said cap has been substantially fully seated, said seating of the cap forcing the oil in said chamber through said outlet.

2. An oil cup having an oil chamber therein, a plunger 'cap movable in said oil chamber and having a `rent adjacent the upper end thereof, said vent being normally inoperat-ive and adapted to be uncovered only when the cap is substantially fully seated, whereby said cap will act as a piston to torce oil through said outlet until said vvent is un-V covered and operative` whereupon said vent will communicate with said oil chamber to permit gravity flow therethrough.

3.` An oil cup having an oilchamber there in, a cap therefor and fitting thereinto to form a plunger, an opening vat the upper end of said cap communicating with' the atmosphere and with the oil chamber only after the cap has been fully seated, whereby .the seating of the cap will cause the plunger to initially exert a pressure on 'the oil inthe chamber, forcing it'through said outlet, and ceasing to exert said pressure after it ha been seated.

4i. An oil cup, comprising an inner and outer oil chamber and having an inlet and outlet therefrom, closure means for the inlet to said cup, said closure means engageable within said chambers to vexert a pressure on the oil therein, a vent, and means in said cap normally inoperative and communicating with said oil chambers only when said cap has been substantially fully seated.

5. An oil cup comprising an inner and outer oil chamber and having an inlet and outlet therefrom, a plunger adapted to fit within said inner oil chamber so as to exert pressure on the oil therein, a cap for said inlet and controlling said plunger, and vent means in said` plunger normally inoperative and communicating with said oil chambers only when said cap has been substantiallj,Y fully seated.

V6. An oil cup comprising an vinner and outer oil chamber and having an inlet and outlet therefrom, a closure means for said cup, said closuremeans having a centrallyextending plunger part adaptedto fit within saidginner oil chamber so as to exert pressure on the oil therein, and vent means in said plunger through said cap normally inoperative and communicating with said oil chambers only when said cap has been substantially fully seated.

7. An oi] cup having a lubricant chamber, a sleeve within said chamber and forming a second lubricant chamber, the upper end of said sleeve being spaced from the top of said oil cup, apertures through said sleeve at its lower end and Communicating with the outer chamber to permit o`il to flow therethrough to the outlet thereof, al cap for closing said inlet to the oil chambers, a plunger carried by said cap and slidable within said inner chamber, said plunger having a vent therein adjacent its upper end and communicating with the atmosphere and the oil chambers only when said cap has been substantially on the oil in the inner chamber, forcing it through said outlet.

' eating with said chamber, a cap for closing the inlet opening and extending into said sleeve, said cap having a closed lower end whereby the seating of said cap will force the oil in said sleeve through said outlet, a vent adjacent the upper end of said cap normally inoperative and operative only when the cap has been substantially completely seated, whereupon the oil in said chamber will flow by gravity through the aperture at the lower end of said sleeve from the outer chamber and through said outlet, and absorbent means between said apertured end of the sleeve and the casing whereby the gravitational fiow therethrough may be adjustably regula-ted.

9. ln an oil cup of the kind described, a gravity feed oil chamber having an inlet and outlet, a force feed oil chamber arranged herein intermediate said inlet and outlet, and a plunger for said force feed chamber, said plunger being operable only while said inlet is being closed.

l0. ln an oil cup of the kind described, a gravity feed lubricant chamber with a lubricant inlet and an outlet, a force feed chamber within said gravity feed chamber, a plunger operable within said force feed chamber, and a cap for said inlet and controlling said plunger, whereby said plunger is operable only while the cap is being seated.

ln testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN H. ELWELL.

Witnesses:

ROY W. HILL, RUTH M. EPHRAIM. 

